Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.

We share a message from Rick Spence that gives us insights into how Steve Jobs used simplicity as a weapon to make Apple one of the most iconic brands in the world.

We live in an age of frightening complexity. The average instruction manual, user agreement, restaurant menu or TV program guide contains more turgid detail than ever before. Who will save us from rampant complexity?

How about Steve Jobs, or rather his former creative partner Ken Segall — the man who coined the name “iMac.” As a creative director for an ad agency who worked closely with Jobs at both Apple Inc. and NeXT Computer, Segall has just written a book called Insanely Simple: The Obsession that Drives Apple’s Success.

There’s a lot of conversation with regard to generating leads from social media tools. Often, using social media as a marketing tactic is perceived as marketing to an already-engaged stakeholder group… so are they current customers and not the new leads required to grow your business?

As part of a social media strategy, you may be inviting people to visit you on Facebook; or like you on Twitter, and its likely that this activity is being monitored by others within their networks, so maybe you aren’t directly developing ‘’new’’ leads, however you are extending your brand visibility and awareness, and from this perspective you create potential for business growth.

Well, we’re probably a little tired of hearing the term “Customer Service’’.

Whether is the local fast food restaurant of the latest big box store, we are inundated with the term. But what does it really mean, and as a business owner, what do you need to take away from this discussion?

Let me address the issue from the perspective of what Customer Service isn’t.

Customer Service is not burying your clients under a mass of email, text messages and other like correspondences… and its certainly not leaving obscure voice messages and assuming that’s “good enough; now the ball is in their court.”

Hello, and welcome to Absolute Marketing & Communications’ new website!

If you’ve found your way here; you may be wondering who is “AMC” and what we are all about? That’s an easy question to answer:We are a full-service marketing agency offering marketing, communications, business strategy, web design and development, graphic design and specialty printing services.

And, AMC has a singular objective:Our business is to make your business better!

We do this through the delivery of proven marketing and business development strategies and creative design and development techniques tailored to our client’s specific business, situation, and desired outcomes.

Our services are equally applicable to operations ranging from new business startups and business in growth mode up to well-established businesses looking to refresh their brand, strategy or market approach in an effort to create new product or service differentiation, or to refresh their brand relevance within their targeted market segments.

Putting yourself out there and doing an investor pitch can be incredibly challenging, and just a little nerve-wracking!

You’ve probably waited more than two-to-three minutes for your coffee to be served by your local barista. It may seem like a very short span of time, however when you’re in the line of fire of your potential investors, asking for their money to support your idea, two minutes can (and often does) seem like an eternity!

Remember, the investors may not know you, or your product or service, or even your concept, and you are likely competing against other investment ideas… plus myriad other agenda items scrolling through their heads as you prepare to address the individual or group.